Queen
by Beast of Prey
Summary: Arc the lad: TOS After Darc Chapter 5, contains a few spoilers. Darc x Delma. I'm not profiting off this fic in any way. Just writing for fun.


Arc the lad: TOS After Darc Chapter 5, contains a few spoilers. Darc x Delma. I'm not profiting off this fic in any way. Just writing for fun.

The stars stared like all knowing eyes watching her every move. But for some reason Delma felt comforted by the thought. The cold hard night acted as a contrast to the calming soft grass she sat on. The gentle breeze soothed her worries as she sat on the dewy ground at the desolate forest that night. She stared as the river nearby flowed at a slow but steady pace. Thankfully the Pyron was asleep so she could collect her thoughts in peace. Flying on the Pyron would have taken her mind elsewhere though.

At first she was having thoughts that acted as a nagging thing in the further regions of her mind, but ever since it turned out that Camellia was a beautiful female Deimos instead of the hag she enjoyed annoying it made Delma all the more insecure. Not that she'd admit out loud the discomfort she felt knowing that Lilia and Camellia were beautiful females that had sufficient contact with Darc.

It was more than just their beauty; it was their gentleness that bothered her to hell and back. Lilia would probably breastfeed a baby Susckle squirrel on her way to feed the homeless if she could. Camellia could easily heal the wounds inflicted on others. Delma knew most of the healing spells that Camellia knew but her bedside manner could use some polishing up. She wanted to reason that she was a Deimos and they don't express happiness, but Camellia was one too and she was capable of at least smiling more often.

If a certain half breed haunting her thoughts needed to be healed he'd probably ask for one of them. And why not? They would comfort him in ways that she couldn't. She wanted to believe that if he came to her broken she'd cackle at his suffering before she begrudgingly cured him and sent him on his way. They'd assure him that things would be ok. At least she'd like to believe that difference existed.

Ever since she'd been traveling with Darc she felt different. He's shown compassion to those that didn't deserve it; including her. He'd reassured Droguza that he was a pure Deimos even thought he had to have known he was just an Altered Deimos that Darkham created. He forgave her after she literally stabbed him in the back. It must have been some disease that spreads from Deimos to Deimos because the others have grown softer over the months. They could still kick ass if the occasion arose for it but they were rougher around the edges before they met him.

"Delma," Darc said, the breeze carrying his voice to her "I've heard something rather interesting."

 _Damn, I thought I was only one in the forest. I figured I'd hear anyone approaching._ She had his back turned to him and even without his wings it seemed he was still rather light on his feet.

"What the hell do you want? I want to be alone." Delma stated.

"It won't do to be distracted in battle. I need your help to unite the Deimos." Darc answered. "Aside from that, I wanted to discuss this rumor that's been spreading among my followers."

She was irritated that he'd bother her with something that was so unimportant. It was either stomp away so she could keep thinking if she was wanted to leave or staying to hear what he had to say. This rumor had to involve her or else he'd know better than to intrude on her while she wanted privacy. Finally, her curiosity won out. She had to hear what ridiculous rumor had been going around that he felt he needed to talk to her about it. So she stood up, turned to face him, and stayed silent to hear what he had to say.

"I've heard that you were jealous that I had been with Lilia on Cragh Island." Darc smirked. "I was wondering if there was any truth to this."

Curse that Bebedora and curse that Camellia. Curse that Volk too since she was sure he helped spread this blatant untruth. "Nope, never was and never will be." Delma proclaimed as she stomped the ground. "Now go away before I rip out your beating heart."

Darc mocked her in that raspy voice of his when he said "That'd be hard to do without your weapon. Besides, we both know you aren't my equal in terms of strength."

She didn't need to be reminded of these facts. The feeling of being weaker than him made her ill.,

"Good thing you weren't. After all a king needs a queen." Darc said before he grabbed his birthmark.

"Oh and you'd pick some human over a Deimos? She wouldn't be accepted as Queen of the Deimos you know." Delma informed him.

"The Deimos will have no choice in the matter since I will rule them; they will accept my queen no matter who she is." Darc made known. "Perhaps you are right in that my queen should be a Deimos. I wonder if Camellia would be interested? She certainly obeys me the way I require and she's a desirable female." Darc pondered out loud.

 _I swear I'll use my claws to rip his throat open._ The unprompted thought pissed Delma off since it was no concern of hers who was on his list of eligible mates. It still didn't explain the heat radiating from her skin as her blood raced through her veins, the beating of her heart that thumped loudly in her chest, or the anger she felt. She stomped the ground again.

"Well good luck looking for your 'queen'." Delma spat out at him. "You got your answer now get lost."

"Not so fast. I want to know what has you up so late and why you felt the need to wander away from the group." Darc retorted.

"Well, that really isn't any of your business." Delma replied in a sarcastic and angry voice. "What I do with my time is my own concern." Stupid Darc. It's not like he'd be of any help thinking this problem through. If she had only been considering leaving before she sure as hell wanted to get away now. She reasoned that she felt rather uncomfortable and she wanted to get back home. When it was clear that she wouldn't be answering any more questions Darc spoke out to break the silence.

"Since you're awake heal me." Darc demanded. "I got wounded in our last fight against the Dilzweld soldiers and I don't feel like Camellia healed my arm properly."

Delma approached him and then punched him on the left arm. "You seem fine to me." she said gruffly.

"I meant the other arm." Darc corrected her angrily. " I don't want to wake Camellia up to tend to this wound and since you're up it shouldn't be an inconvenience."

She didn't feel like arguing with him tonight. Her previous thoughts had left her drained of the energy needed to fight him on this. The arm he was talking about looked fine but maybe he had a broken bone that was a closed fracture in his right arm. At this point she was standing right in front of him. She hated how much taller he was than her. It was just another way she was inferior to him. She touched his arm and started healing him. Before healing him she grabbed his right arm but he didn't flinch.

"Cure" Delma mumbled. She didn't know what she had been touching his arm for since she didn't need to touch him to heal him. There was the suspicion that he had been lying about his injury but she would never know if he had been lying or not. There was also the weird sensation of feeling a human arm since she didn't get to do it often. She can feel the heat radiating from his body, hear the softness of his breathing and smell his scent since was she so close to him. She was glad she was pink or she swore he would have noticed her blushing.

Delma looked up at Darc and told him " There, I hope you're all better now." She meant to say it with sarcasm but there was a gentleness in her voice.

Darc laughed loudly, "You know if it had been Camellia she wouldn't have doubted that I had any injuries and cured me like I asked instead of testing me."

"Oh get over yourself. I healed you like you wanted." Delma snapped while she looked down and kicked the ground.

"I suppose you did." Darc agreed before lifting her chin so she'd face him. "I was just thinking how aggressive you are in everything you do, even healing me."

He growled softly in her ear, "The way you treat my wounds is a refreshing change of pace. Maybe you need an incentive to be a little more obedient though."

He held eye contact with her for a couple of seconds longer. "Darc?" Delma whispered. Then he dropped his hand and turned away to join the others.

"Come, we have to leave tomorrow morning." Darc said over his shoulder before he turned completely and walked away towards the building the group was staying in for the night.

Delma just stood there for a minute before she shook her head and let go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding wondering _What the hell just happened?_ She followed him. She had no intention of being obedient to him. The thought that he would try to tame her made her laugh inwardly. The next thought she had was that she could shred him in the back with her claws but her heart wasn't in it so she kept an even pace as he walked ahead of her.

Meanwhile Darc thought to himself that Delma would make a fine queen once he became King of the Deimos. She would rule alongside him even if he had to chain her to her throne. He'd make sure of that.

Critique encouraged or just enjoy the ficlet.


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